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Degrassi Community School
Degrassi Community School is a fictional middle/high school in the teen drama television series ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and the titular academy primarily associated with it. The school opened in September 2001 and was the school that held the Degrassi High reunion. The student body is made up of many cultures and backgrounds, paralleling and reflecting the multiculturalism associated with Toronto. Degrassi originally just consisted of students in grade 7 and 8, but merged with grades 9 through 12 in September 2002. By the Fall of 2004, the school became a high school for grades 9 through 12 only and remains that way as of the present day. Degrassi has had four principals, with it's current principal being Archie Simpson. To some people, such as Jimmy Brooks, the school is thought of as "a pit of burning fire." However, Degrassi isn't a real school. The set is a mix of the exterior of the Studio C building at Epitome Pictures (for the front entrance) and various studios within (for interior shots). The sets are modeled to resemble the old Centennial Teachers College where exteriors from the previous Degrassi High series were filmed. Although the building was not originally named Degrassi Community School, the location address of the school was technically founded in 1986, and called Degrassi Junior High School. A different building was used to portray Degrassi High School. Both of these buildings still exist in and their locations can be found at Vincent Massey Junior School at 68 Daisy Street, in the Mimico District of Etobicoke, Ontario (for Degrassi Junior High) and''' an empty building that was under renovation, that was part of the Centennial College campus in Scarborough, a district in Toronto. Directions to both locations can be found in Kathryn Ellis' excellent book on Degrassi: Degrassi Generations: The official 411. For Degrassi The Next Generation, an Epitome studio building was converted to look similar to the old Centennial college building. In the Summer of 1991, the school was suffering from major maintenance issues, thus the school was shut down, and students from grades 9 through 11 were sent to other schools around the district. Degrassi High would not re-open until ten years later, in the Fall of 2001 as a Junior High school once again. Degrassi High School remained closed for the next ten years, but was remodeled and renamed Degrassi Community School. The building re-opened for the new school year starting in September 2001, and hosted the Degrassi High Reunion in August, shortly before the school year started. The 2006-2007 school year brought major dramatic changes to Degrassi. In the Fall of 2006, a lot of friction had begun arising between the students of Degrassi and its rival school, Lakehurst Secondary School, much of which lead to the eventual murder of Degrassi student, J.T. Yorke, who was killed by Lakehurst student, Drake Lempkey. Things slowly calmed down after his death, until Lakehurst suddenly burned down during a fire. This forced the students of Lakehurst to move into Degrassi to finish their schooling. The Degrassi students did not welcome them into their lives, obviously due to anger of a Lakehurst student being the cause of J.T. Yorke's death. The event of the schools merging resulted in many fights and hatred between the students. Since the events that happened in '''All Falls Down (2) from Mark Fitzgerald they have since been required to wear colored polo shirt's. (Yellow): Freshman; (Purple): Sophomore; (Red): Junior and (Blue): Senior. Layout Completely renovated and changed by the Summer of 2001, Degrassi Community School features untraditional design schemes using new materials. Despite being named a Community School, Degrassi does not follow the typical public school layout but closer to being identified as an alternative school, with the heavy emphasis on Media Immersion pointing to the possibility of it beign a tech magnet school. By September 2002, the school had yet again been completely changed and reinvented as it underwent a merge to become both a Junior High School and High School. There are multiple unique aspects of the Degrassi school. In the spacious front entrance lobby, a mural outlooks the front steps, one later redrawn by Jimmy Brooks. Written primarily at the top of the walls above the locker/hallway areas, there are a number of inspirational quotes employed. The main foyer is host to Degrassi's own motto, written larger and bolder than the other quotes. After the death of J.T. Yorke in 2006, a memorial garden is built in his name at the school. The actual set for where the school scenes are shot in is a warehouse sized studio at Epitome Pictures. Outfitted to look like an actual school, the set features perhaps the most intricate and detailed designs, including numerous fliers, bulletins, and posters pertaining to the fictional Degrassi Community School. The studio is also used for filming the other sets, such as character's bedrooms, in the series. The canonical street address is fictional - De Grassi Street numbers stop well short of 240, and the letter "Q" is not used in Canadian postal codes. Notable Incidents 'School Shooting' Lead Up In November 2003, Degrassi student, Rick Murray, had begun dating fellow classmate, Terri MacGregor, both of whom were in grade 10 at the time. Their relationship started out strong, but soon turned abusive on Rick's part. He was very insecure and didn't approve of Terri's friendships with Paige Michalchuk, Hazel Aden, Jimmy Brooks and Spinner Mason. When Terri wanted to hang out with the girls instead of Rick, he shoved her against the wall and threatened her to never choose her friends over him. When she said he was being crazy, Rick slapped her and made her lip bleed. Hazel noticed the bruises and cuts on Terri a few days later and confronted her about it, but Terri shrugged it off and told Hazel to stay out of her personal business. However, after dealing with his physical abuse for several days, Terri broke up with Rick and didn't speak to him for the next six months. In May 2004, Rick and Terri reconciled and decided to try their relationship again. One day, while away on a weekend road trip with Paige, Hazel, Jimmy and Spinner, they stopped to have lunch in the park and Paige got into a verbal fight with Rick about how he used to treat Terri. Rick ran off in anger and Terri stood up for him by telling Paige to stop being so mean. Paige was mad and told her to go after him. Terri followed Rick into the forest and approached him, even though he was in an agitated state. She managed to calm him down, but when Terri insisted that they go back to sit with the others, Rick felt that she was choosing them over himself and started pulling her away. He then pushed her and her head hit a rock, causing her to fall into a coma. Rick fled the scene and Terri was found, unconcious, by her friends and taken to the hospital. She later recovered, but transferred to a private school due to fear after the incident, while Rick was expelled. In September 2004, Rick Murray returned to Degrassi after apparently asking the Principal if he could do so and claiming that he liked it there. Due to his previous actions towards Terri MacGregor, he became the victim of an endless line of bullying by nearly every student at the school, especially Spinner Mason and Jimmy Brooks. Emma Nelson even organized a silent protest against Rick, along with Paige Michalchuk. However, Emma soon pitied Rick and defended him from getting beat up by Degrassi students Jay Hogart and Alex Nuñez. Over the next few weeks, Rick slowly began re-adjusting to his old Degrassi life again. He became friends with Toby Isaacs, and even Jimmy Brooks, despite the fact that Jimmy bullied him at first. When the school's annual Whack-Your-Brain trivia competition was approaching, Archie Simpson, Degrassi's former media immersion teacher, partnered Rick with Emma, Toby and Jimmy for the contest. Rick saw this as a golden opportunity to gain everyone's trust back. Over the course of practicing for the competition, Rick harboured a crush on Emma and was determined to impress her overall during the contest. When the day of the contest arrived, Rick brought his team to victory, but had no idea that Jay Hogart, Spinner Mason and Alex Nuñez were formulating a plan to humiliate him infront of everyone. After Rick won the contest, Alex had yellow paint and feathers dumped on him. Everyone in the audience laughed, while Rick ran outside humiliated. Emma followed him and said that everyone who laughed only makes them look totally juvenile. Rick, who was caught up in the moment attempted to kiss Emma, but she pushed him away angrily. Rick claimed that he thought she loved him. Emma was shocked and told Rick to get a clue, as she only being nice because she felt sorry for him. Rick was hurt and sent home for the day by Principal Raditch. The Incident ''Continuity error: One notable error is the date of the Degrassi shooting. Although the episode in which the occasion took place was aired on Tuesday, October 12, 2004, Degrassi's timeline has scripted it to have taken place on October 31, 2004. However, that would have to be impossible since the 31st of October was a Sunday during that year.'' Rick Murray went home and returned to school, later that day, with a handgun he had stolen from his home, hidden in his backpack. Toby Isaacs saw him walking into the school and tried to convince him to go back home to settle down, but Rick claimed that this was the first time he actually wanted to be at school. Rick entered Degrassi and made his way to the cafeteria. It is believed that his first target was 11th grader, Paige Michalchuk, who had been a friend of Terri MacGregor's, and a major instigator in Rick's bullying, but she unknowingly defused the situation and made peace with Rick by apologizing for what happened to him and informing him that she believed that the prank was uncalled for and very childish. Rick apologized in return for how he treated Terri. He then left the cafeteria and went to put his bag in his locker. Rick then entered the boy's bathroom to clean himself off and hid in a stall when he heard someone walk inside. Jay Hogart and Spinner Mason entered the restroom and saw a trail of yellow paint and feathers on the floor and sink. He would be told by Hogart and Mason that his fellow Whack-Your-Brain teammate had set him up during the competition. He then left the bathroom, found Brooks at his locker and shot him as he tried to flee. Next, Murray would target his other two teammates. He found them in the hallway with and attempted to shoot Nelson in the head, but was prevented by Cameron and accidentally shot himself. Jimmy Brooks was brought to the hospital, and the school was put on lock down for several hours, with Hazel being the only student allowed to leave because she was Brooks' girlfriend. Aftermath Jimmy Brooks would be paralyzed from the waist down because of his injuries, but would eventually start to gain the ability to walk again from physical therapy. Rick Murray was killed instantly by the shot. The students who dumped the paint on Murray, Hogart, Mason, and Nuñez, would not be caught or punished. Sean Cameron would leave Degrassi and move back home with his parents. Daniel Raditch was removed as principal, because of failure to stop Murray's bullies and the event itself, he would be replaced by Science Teacher Daphne Hatzilakos. From this incident Degrassi would implement a strict zero tolerance policy on bullying. 'Rivalry with Lakehurst High School' Lead Up In the 2006-2007 School Year, a violent rivalry started up between Degrassi students and students from Lakehurst Secondary School. The start of the rivalry can be traced back to when J.T. Yorke began dating Lakehusrt to Degrassi transfer Mia Jones. Due to the relationship, a fight would later break out between members of the Spirit Squad and several students from Lakehurst, with all involved students gaining two weeks of detention. Nic, a Lakehurst student (and Jones' first boyfriend) would declare war on Degrassi. The War Throughout the year, several fights would break out between students from both schools. Yorke would visit Lakehurst to fight Nic, but would be prevented by Jones, his best friend Toby Issacs would later be beaten up by several Lakehurst students. At Liberty Van Zandt's birthday party Yorke would confront Johnny DiMarco and Drake Lempkey, who were urinating on his car, an enraged Lemkey then stabbed Yorke in the back, before fleeing with DiMarco. Yorke, would be rushed to the hospital but would eventually succumb to his wounds. The last incident of the War would occur two weeks later while Degrassi was hosting a cheerleading competition that Lakehurst was attending. Still recovering from Yorke's murder, Emma Nelson would lead Degrassi students in a protest against the Lakehurst Cheerleading Squad. Several Degrassi students (lead by Manny Santos) argued against this for the sake of creating peace between the two schools, these students would later be viewed as traitors by their peers. Aftermath Aside from to the death of J.T. Yorke there were no casualties from the conflicts. Drake Lempkey would later be brought up on charges of murder and incarcerated. When Lakehurst School burned down, and the students were moved into Degrassi, the events of the war caused continued conflicts among the different members of the student body. Eventually the two schools would integrate peacefully. 'Gonorrhea Outbreak' Later in the year of the school shooting, a Gonorrhea outbreak would occur in the student populace. This out break was caused by members of the student body participateing in unprotected oral sex. Several of the students who contracted thte disease were Jay Hogart, Emma Nelson, Alex Nuñez, and Amy Peters-Hoffman. It is possible that there were others, but none have been confirmed. 'Merger with Lakehurst High School' Over the winter break of the 2006-2007 school year, Lakehurst Secondary School burned down and the students were forced to move into Degrassi to finish their education. This transition was not made easy, due to the previous "war" between the two schools, which led to Degrassi's J.T. Yorke's murder by Lakehurst's Drake Lempkey. Fights began to break out between the two groups of students, most notably between Spinner Mason and Johnny DiMarco. Toby Isaacs, who was not happy with the situation, made a popular podcast expressing his feelings about the merger. After much debate, the Lakehurst clubs and teams were integrated into Degrassi, much to the dismay of Damian Hayes, who wished for Lakehurst to maintain its own identity. There would also only be one valedictorian between the two student bodies, cause friction between the top students. At the start of the next school year, Lakehurst's former principal, Mikerty "The Shep" Sheppard became the principal, after Daphne Hatzilakos took a leave of absence. This caused also lot of trouble, as many thought he was a terrible principal. He would give former Lakehurst student, Jane Vaughn, trouble when she joined the Degrassi Football Team, and she was even jumped by students, Derek Haig and Bruce the Moose. "The Shep" also gave trouble to the gifted class, which included Clare Edwards, K.C. Guthrie, Alli Bhandari and Connor Deslauriers. Calling them names, ranging from "nerds" to "weirdos". He expelled Connor for acting out, although it was discovered he has aspergers. He later got into an argument with Clare Edwards, calling her a "little bitch." This was caught on video, and shown to the entire school, which led to him being sent to sensitivity training. When returned a few weeks later, he laid low for the rest of the semester. When the more popular and capable Daphne Hatzilakos returned the following semester, he was presumably fired. 'The Vegas Night Lock down' During the next school year, at the "A Night in Vegas Dance", another lock down came into effect when Mark Fitzgerald, brought a knife to the dance. The knife was reported by Adam Torres, which caused Principal Simpson to send the school into a lock down. Other goings-on during the dance included student Holly J. Sinclair giving a lap-dance to Sav Bhandari in the empty drama room; they were discovered by the police. Also, Owen Milligan offered Alli Bhandari to have sex with him for money. When she decided it was a bad idea, he attempted to rape her, although Drew Torres stopped him before he could go any further. Mark Fitzgerald discovered Clare Edwards and Elijah Goldsworthy in an empty, and dark hallway. Although his intentions were unclear, as when he had the chance to stab Eli, he instead stabbed a wall. The police discovered the group and Fitz was arrested. No one was injured during the lock down, although when Principal Simpson discovers that Clare was the one who let off the stink bomb, and that Eli framed Fitz he is infuriated, and is even more so when an officer reveals to him that Holly J. Sinclair was giving Sav Bhandari a lap-dance. He states that he will enforce new rules when the students return from their winter break, including a new uniform policy Faculty and Staff 'Principals' *Daniel Raditch (Fall 2001-Spring 2005) (previous English teacher at Degrassi High) *Daphne Hatzilakos (Spring 2005-Spring 2007 and Spring 2008) (previous Science Teacher) *Mikerty Sheppard (Fall 2007) (previous Principal of Lakehurst Secondary School) *Archibald Simpson (Fall 2010-present) (previous Media Immersion Teacher) Note: Because of the Retcon of Season 10 Mr. Simpson actually started his tenure at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year 'Teachers' Art *Ms. Dawes (2007-present) (faculty adviser of the LARPing Club) 'Drama' *Ms.Kwan *Ms. Dawes English *Ms. Dawes (2010-present) (faculty adviser of the LARPing Club) *Laura Kwan (2001-2009) (also taught night classes) Math *Darryl Armstrong (2001-present) Media Immersion *Winnie Oh (2010-present) *Matt Oleander (2004-2005) (student teacher) *Archie Simpson (2001-2010) (current principal) Science *Michael Betenkamp (2010-present) *Mr. Bince (2007-2009) *Daphne Hatzilakos (2002-2005) (coach of several sports and later become Principal) Social Studies *Dom Perino (2002-present) *Marco Del Rossi (Student Teacher in 2009) 'Athletics' *Coach Carson *Darryl Armstrong 'Staff' *Sheila - Lunch lady (2001-2005) *Chantel Sauvé - Guidance Councilor (2002-present) Graduates 2004 *Dylan Michalchuk 2006 *Hazel Aden *Marco Del Rossi (Valedictorian) *Paige Michalchuk *Ellie Nash *Alex Nuñez (returned in 2006-2007 year to gain more credits) *Heather Sinclair (unseen at Graduation) 2007 *Jimmy Brooks *Damian Hayes *Tobias Isaacs *Spinner Mason *Emma Nelson *Manny Santos *Liberty Van Zandt (Valedictorian) 2008 *Johnny DiMarco *Derek Haig (not seen at the graduation) *Bruce the Moose (not seen at the graduation) *Peter Stone *Jane Vaughn (Valedictorian) *Danny Van Zandt 2011 *Sav Bhandari *Holly J. Sinclair (Valedictorean) *Riley Stavros *Zane Park *Chantay Black *Anya MacPherson 2012 *Eli Goldsworthy *Drew Torres *Bianca DeSousa *Owen Milligan *Marisol Lewis *Katie Matlin *Jake Martin *Imogen Moreno *Fiona Coyne 2013 *Clare Edwards *K.C. Guthrie *Dave Turner *Connor Deslauriers *Alli Bhandari *Jenna Middleton *Adam Torres *Wesley Betenkamp Trivia *Since 2004 at least 4 students have been held back, which caused them not to graduate with their class: Spinner Mason and Jimmy Brooks in 2006, Riley Stavros in 2008 and Fiona Coyne in 2011. Left Before Graduation *Terri MacGregor (transferred to private school before season 4) *Jay Hogart (expelled in season 4 for his invovement with the school shooting) *Craig Manning (dropped out in season 5 to pursue career in music) *Sean Cameron (expelled in season 6, returns in season 7, only to leave to join the army) *Ashley Kerwin (dropped out in season 7 to pursue career in music) *Darcy Edwards (left to do charity work in Kenya in season 8, it is unclear when she returned) *Derek Haig (left before season 9, it is unclear what happened to him) *Mia Jones (left in season 9 to become a model in Paris, it is unclear if she finished school) *Bruce the Moose (shy credits in season 9, it is unclear what happened to him) *Mark Fitzgerald (expelled in season 10 for his involvement in a war with Eli Goldsworthy and Adam Torres) *Leia Chang (Unexplained, last appearence was in the begining of season 10) Died While Attending Degrassi *Rick Murray - shot fellow students Jimmy Brooks, Sean Cameron then accidentally killed him by wrestling the gun away in the season 4 episode Time Stands Still. *J.T. Yorke - was stabbed by Lakehurst student Drake Lempkey in the season 6 episode Rock This Town. *Claude Tanner - committed suicide in the boys bathroom after Caitlin Ryan refused to go out with him in the Degrassi High Season 2 episode Showtime. His dead body was discovered by Snake. Notable Alumni *Ashley Kerwin - musician *Caitlin Ryan - reporter, TV Show Host *Craig Manning - musician *Manny Santos - actress *Mia Jones - model *Toby Isaacs - game show host Note: There are no graduates for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 School Years because of the Retcon. Gallery DSCF0944.jpg DSCF0937.jpg DSCF0928.jpg DSCF0927.jpg DSCF0876.jpg DSCF0857.jpg DSCF0833.jpg DSCF0831.jpg tourslide2.jpg tourslide3.jpg tourslide5.jpg tourslide6.jpg tourslide4.jpg tourslide7.jpg tourslide8.jpg ab.jpg Adce gg.jpg Abceee.jpg degg.jpg deggr.jpg abcd.jpg Category:Fights Category:Fictional schools Category:Places Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation Category:Degrassi |}